U.S. Army Will Pay for Transgender Hormone Treatment for the First Time Ever

Private First Class Chelsea Manning (née Bradley Manning) will receive the treatment after a landmark case.

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In a major statement for the transgender community, the U.S. military has agreed to pay for gender treatment for Private First Class Chelsea Manning (née Bradley Manning) as she serves her prison sentence [via BBC]. Private Manning is currently doing 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks.

Manning requested to be allowed to undergo hormone therapy so she could live as a woman after she came out as transgender and doctors diagnosed her with gender dysphoria. The bureau of prisons initially rejected the request, but Manning's legal team pushed back. They argued that the military had an obligation to treat Manning's gender dysphoria, as Manning will not be discharged from the military until after her sentence is served. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who announced that the Army will pay for Manning's treatment earlier today, has previously said that the policies on transgender service members should be "continuously reviewed."